Stop… Ellipsis… Abuse…!
Ellipsis
Main Entry: el·lip·sis
Pronunciation: \i-ˈlip-səs, e-\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural el·lip·ses \-ˌsēz\
Etymology: Latin, from Greek elleipsis ellipsis, ellipse, from elleipein to leave out, fall short, from en in + leipein to leave - more at in, loan
Date: 1540
1 a : the omission of one or more words that are obviously understood but that must be supplied to make a construction grammatically complete b : a sudden leap from one topic to another
2 : marks or a mark (as …) indicating an omission (as of words) or a pause
receptionist email:
It's a mistake...but if you should realize that you have dialed "911"...please DO NOT try to hang up...you can NEVER be faster than the "911" signal that reaches the Police Dept. b/4 you can hang up...just wait & tell the station that you mistakingly rang & they will just check w/you that everything is alright in the office...thnx!
My commentary:
You’re missing a considerable amount of grammar, but you’re not missing any words! You don’t need a series of ellipsis! However, other punctuation marks are your friends! For example, a comma! Perhaps a simple period when you are finished with a thought and about to move to the next thought. I don’t even have a problem with the abbreviations, just, please, use a period where appropriate and stop the ellipsis abuse!
Let’s try:
It’s a mistake, but if you should realize that you have dialed “911”, please do not try to hang up. You can never be faster than the “911” signal that reaches the police dept before you hang up. Just wait and tell the station that you mistakenly rang and they will just check with you that everything is alright in the office. Thanks!
Or even better:
If you dial 911 by mistake, please stay on the line and tell the operator you dialed in error and everything is here is fine. Don’t hang up because the police station will register the call no matter how fast you are. Thanks!
I know that the above alternatives likely have grammatical errors as well, but, damn! At least it’s better than what she wrote!